Show Your Kids a Fun Time in these Top 10 Soft Play Areas in Houston
Did you know that Houston’s population is on a constant rise, with kids under the age of 14 taking up 23.3% of the population as of 2020?
That’s where soft play centers come into “play”. Think of them as a huge, padded indoor playground for anyone looking for a fun time to jump around in and just have fun. Soft play centers can be visited by both kids and the kids-at-heart too!
Houston doesn’t exactly fall short when it comes to soft play centers in Houston, but that doesn’t mean that every one of them is a winner – and no, we’re talking about a purely soft play area, and not just a restaurant with play areas for this one!
Strap on and be prepared to bounce the night away as we give you some of the best soft play centers in Houston you can visit today!
1. Wonderwild
Address: 767 N Shepherd Dr #400, Houston, TX 77007
Phone Number: 713-864-4242
Hours: Monday – Saturday: 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM
Sunday: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
With their convenient location and a huge space, Wonderwild aims squarely at providing a good party for the kids, along with being a budget-friendly option for adults, too!
Wonderwild offers three tiers for their parties. The cheapest, the Basic, costs $420 and gives the kids 45 minutes each to play in the private play area plus a 45 minute party in the party room.
The second tier, Magical, costs $690 and extends both the play and party time to 2 hours, plus a dozen of centerpiece balloons.
The most expensive tier, the Ultimate, costs $990 and has the same play time, but it comes with bigger party favors and a bigger play space.
That being said though, any tier you choose will grant you access to their spacious play area. The space can get even bigger depending on the tier, but they still provide a huge space with fun slides and bouncy castles that your kids can enjoy!
| Pro Tips: Wonderwild’s space can be a bit too big, so we suggest you watch over your kids like a hawk! They can easily get lost in the huge space, so you’ll need to learn how to monitor your kids properly! |
2. Main Street Indoor Park
Address: First United Methodist Church, 1320 Main St, Houston, TX 77002
Phone Number: 832-668-1800
Hours: Tuesday, Thursday: 9:30 AM – 12:00 PM
Wednesday, Friday – Monday: Closed
Although they’re only open for 2 out of 7 days in a week, Main Street Indoor Park still provides a family-friendly, all-Christian fun for kids and adults alike! Think of them as a fun way to distract your kids under 5 from church activities.
Since Main Street Indoor Park is considered to be a public park, you won’t be able to reserve them for a private event. But you can visit them for free, so it more than makes up for the lack of private events.
Main Street Indoor Park has ball parks and slides for your kids to enjoy, but they also have a Little Free Library with age-appropriate books too! They also run several events like Easter Egg Hunt during Easter as well, which is sure to be a fun time for your kids.
| Pro Tips: Main Street Indoor Park is the complete opposite of Wonderwild in a sense that it’s a lot smaller. This means that it can be a bit crowded during peak hours, so we suggest going there a bit earlier to secure your kid’s spots! |
3. IKEA Småland
Address: 7810 Katy Fwy, Houston, TX 77024
Phone Number: 888-888-4532
Hours: Monday – Sunday: 10:00 AM – 9:00 PM
If you’ve ever shopped in IKEA, you know just how spacious the place can be. It’s so spacious that you can leave your kid in their Småland soft play area for an hour and come back to them after you shop – well, if you can remember the directions, that is.
And Småland isn’t just a small ball park for your kids too – it’s a full-on soft play area for your kids with a full-on slide and ball parks for them to have fun in! And with Småland being inside IKEA, the space is as large as you’d expect it to be.
It’s completely free to enter too, and all you need to do is to fill out a form and you can leave your kid there for an hour or two while you shop. They also ensure that your kids are safe since only the person who filled up the form can pick up the kids, too.
| Pro Tips: Småland or not, your kids can have plenty of fun inside IKEA too! Houston’s IKEA has rooms for your kids to roam around in while you browse, and it’s safe too since there isn’t anything inside that they can topple over and break. |
4. Giggles & Fun
Address: 1801 S Dairy Ashford Rd Unit 129, Houston, TX 77077,
Phone Number: 832-243-1920
Hours: Monday: Closed
Tuesday – Friday: 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM, 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Saturday – Sunday: 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM
Branding themselves as a “premiere indoor playground and birthday party center for children”, Giggles & Fun manages to bring a unique twist compared to other soft play areas in Houston with their affordable pricing!
If your kids want to try them out, then you can pay $12.93 every visit, or save yourself a ton of money by being a member! The monthly membership fee costs $40 per child, with an additional $30 for any extra kids.
You can also book them for parties as well! The parties can only be held on weekends and will cost $305 for Saturdays and $325 for Sundays. You can also rent them out for the day, with Saturday being $100 more expensive compared to Sunday ($900 vs $800).
| Pro Tips: If you plan to take your kids there, we suggest making them wear shoes prior, otherwise you’ll need to pay an extra $2 + tax. We also suggest filling out their online waiver for a faster entry time as well. |
5. The Woodlands Children’s Museum
Address: 4775 W Panther Creek Dr #280, The Woodlands, TX 77381
Phone Number: 281-465-0955
Hours: Sunday – Monday: Closed
Tuesday – Thursday: 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Friday: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Saturday: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
What makes The Woodlands Children’s Museum unique compared to other soft play areas in Houston is the fact that they’re so much more than just a play area for your kids. After all, they have fun events like exhibits and shadow puppets for your kids, too!
These events are entertaining and educational at the same time. You can check the calendar of events they have on their website, since they have different events regularly. This ensures that you and your kids will have a different experience every visit!
Note that we mentioned “you and your kids” – it’s because The Woodlands Children’s Museum also allows parents to enter their soft play area and have fun with their kids! It’ll cost $9 for both adults and kids over 1, and it gives you access to their attractions!
| Pro Tips: The Woodlands Children’s Museum is a walking soft play area, so we don’t recommend bringing kids under the age of 2 if you don’t want to carry them around! |
6. Monkey Joe’s
Address: 13316 Westheimer Rd Suite 300, Houston, TX 77077
Phone Number: 281-920-9047
Hours: Monday – Thursday: 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM
Friday – Saturday: 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM
Sunday: 11:00 AM – 7:00 PM
With two branches in Houston alone, Monkey Joe’s offers a unique experience compared to other soft play areas thanks to their cheap prices and plenty of activities for you and your kids to try out! After all, you can hold your kid’s party for as little as $259!
The $259 Island Excursion party package is by far their most popular package, and will be able to get you all the bells and whistles from the most expensive Extreme Safari Adventure package. Both packages also come with a personalized party host, too!
Booking Monkey Joe’s for your kids parties will also make your life easier as well, since they can cover everything! From sending out invitations, to startup and cleanup, booking a party with Monkey Joe’s means that your party is pretty much set!
Their play areas are huge, and the slides are a fun activity for your kids. However, what makes Monkey Joe’s completely unique is the fact that they also have an arcade machine for your kids to try out!
| Pro Tips: Monkey Joe’s regularly cleans their equipment, even with kids playing around. Thus, if you or your kids plan to enjoy their time, we suggest bringing in some extra clothes for them. |
7. Kanga’s Indoor Playcenter
Address: 11037 Farm to Market 1960 Rd W, Houston, TX 77065
Phone Number: 832-688-9916
Hours: Monday – Sunday: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Conveniently located and fully air-conditioned, Kanga’s Indoor Playcenter gives their birthday celebrants a fun time by providing them with a unique experience. After all, they don’t just provide a space – you can get party-sized food for cheap, too!
One of Kanga’s Indoor Playcenter’s main selling points is their price. Their party packages are less expensive, with prices ranging from $299 to $419. The TFun $299 party package is the best value for money, especially if you want to buy some of their food.
Speaking of their food, that’s another part of Kanga’s Indoor Playcenter’s main approach too! You can buy their party platter which serves 8-10 people for only $35. We suggest the Gourmet Sandwiches, since it’s just the right amount of filling for kids!
| Pro Tips: Although Kanga’s Indoor Playcenter also caters for adults, it’s still a relatively small space. We suggest leaving the kids in the play center by themselves, and it’ll be alright since they have their staff everywhere, too. |
8. Cheeky Monkeys
Address: 2601 Town Center Blvd N, Sugar Land, TX 77479
Phone Number: 281-302-5874
Hours: Monday – Thursday: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Friday – Saturday: 9:00 AM – 8:00 PM
Sunday: 9:00 AM – 7:00 PM
Cheeky Monkeys makes learning a lot more fun for kids! This is because unlike other play areas that’s just a fun space, they also provide educational classes, too!
These classes range from puppet shows to arts and crafts classes, which gives Cheeky Monkeys a unique charm compared to other soft play areas in Houston. The classes also occur in their huge life-sized clubhouse too, which is a nice space.
But if your kids are more of an active type, then their huge play area is also a great time, too! Their indoor play area is reminiscent of the 90s McDonald’s Play Areas while being as safe as possible. Plus, the interactive play area is a fun, educational time as well.
| Pro Tips: If you’re planning to bring your kids to Cheeky Monkeys, we suggest you bring your own food. They won’t let anyone go back after they’ve left Cheeky Monkeys, even if you’re a parent. |
9. Kids Empire
Address: 9749 Westheimer Rd, Houston, TX 77042
Phone Number: 713-997-8090
Hours: Monday – Thursday: 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM
Friday – Sunday: 10:00 AM – 10:00 PM
With an area like The Maze that can help enrich your kids’ skills, Kids Empire offers cheap exercise options for your kids, along with cheap snack options for your kids. After all, you can have a party with 10 kids there for as little as $159!
The $159 standard party package lets you access their entire soft play area, which is a fun time for your kids. The Maze lets your kids climb, spin, build, and even drive an ATV-style bump car! It’ll last for 3 hours, which is more than enough time to have fun.
If your kids get hungry, then Kids Empire also sells a good snack bar in their snack area! It costs $6.75, and comes with a delicious jamwich that comes with a jamwich along with your kids’ choice of eitherDoritos, Cheetos, or Lay’s.
| Pro Tips: If you want to enter Kids Empire faster, we strongly suggest that you fill out their online waiver ahead of time! It’ll take less than 5 minutes online, compared to the 30 minutes or so if you fill them out in person. |
10. Bounce N Play
Address: 7075 Cypress Creek Pkwy Suite 3, Houston, TX 77069
Phone Number: 346-902-2271
Hours: Monday – Saturday: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Sunday: 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM
With several branches all over Houston, Bounce N Play is one of Houston’s easily accessible soft play areas in Houston. Better still, they’re open 7 days a week too, unlike the other soft play areas in Houston!
Bounce N Play has the typical large play area you’d expect, but they also have a colorful ball park with several themes that your kids will enjoy. We particularly like the piano-themed one!
Entrance for the open play only costs $14, which can be a lot compared to other soft play areas, plus the $2.50 for the grippy socks your kids will need. But you can re-enter again, plus the open play lasts for two hours, which is great value for money.
| Pro Tips: Kids under 2 can enter for free, but you’ll need to take other kids over 5 years old for them to enter! |
